Starlight

By Lady Mac

A/N: Here's the deal, kiddos: I haven't written a word since September. sorry 'bout that. And I keep getting lots of reviews begging me to update, and the fact of the matter is that between physics, calculus, and pep band I barely have time to eat, sleep, and spend time with my boyfriend.

So what I'm going to do is post the EPILOGUE to "Starlight" that I wrote way back when and maybe over the summer I'll be able to finish the chapters in between.

WARNING: THIS IS THE EPILOGUE! If you care a lot about continuity, DON'T READ IT NOW! I'm mostly only posting to prove to you that I'm not dead and have a way to promise you more later without actually having to do any work or get yelled at by the admins.

Mood: physicsphysicsphysics

Listening to: Mozart's Requiem

Epilogue

October 3

"Congratulations!" the midwife finally said, easing the tiny body free from its mother. "Sophie, Mr. Wizard, you have a son."

Sophie fell back on the pillows, exhausted. "Did you hear that?" Howl asked excitedly, stroking her sweat-dampened hair. "It's a boy, Sophie! We have a son!"

She nodded vaguely, still breathing hard and not daring to open her eyes. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

A robust cry rang out in the warm room, and a chuckle escaped Sophie's tired body. "Would you like to hold him?" the midwife asked, standing beside the couple with a squirming bundle in her arms.

Smiling, Sophie managed to open her eyes. "Yes." She received the child gently and brought him to rest on her body. He looked up at her with bright blue eyes and reached his tiny hands up towards her face. She allowed him to catch her finger in his tiny fist, and he looked in wonder at his parents as they held and touched him gently. But amongst all these fascinating things, his little body was telling him that he needed something else, too.

He stuck Sophie's finger in his toothless mouth, then began to cry.

"He's hungry," Howl said. "He wants to be fed! Look at him sucking on your finger! It's so cute …"

Sophie smiled as she unbuttoned her top and offered one breast to the baby. He was tentative at first, but quickly began suckling eagerly. Sophie giggled a little. "It kind of tickles." She looked up at her husband, and he kissed her gently.

The midwife came back into the room then, drying her hands on her apron. "Your fire just talked to me," she said.

Howl laughed. "Oh, that's just Calcifer. He's probably feeling kind of left out."

"Well, it doesn't really matter," she said, shaking off the weirdness and looking at Sophie. "Seems like he's doing fine. Have you thought of a name for him?"

They both looked down at the baby, and Howl brushed the soft, thin hair that covered his head. "We said Adam or Chase if it was a boy. I kind of like Chase."

"Me, too," agreed Sophie, smiling contentedly at the baby in her arms. "And his middle name can be Adam. Chase Adam Jenkins."

-----#&#-----

It was January when Chase was three when Howl came tearing down the stairs in the middle of the night, dressed in nothing but his night shirt and one slipper, and burst out into the cold to get the midwife as quickly as possible.

Around nine the next morning Chase was sitting in the kitchen with Markl, roasting marshmallows over Calcifer, when Howl came down the stairs again. He was flushed and sweaty, despite the winter chill, but looked very, very happy.

"Daddy!" Chase ran to him and embraced his legs.

"How are ya, kid?" he asked, stroking his jet-black hair out of his round face as he moved to sit at the hearth.

"Good!" he said. "Me an' Markl an' Calcifer were makin' marshellows."

"I can see that," Howl said, smiling as he wiped some stickiness off his son's mouth. "Well, I came down to tell you boys that you have a little sister now."

"Really?" they exclaimed together.

Howl chuckled. Even at thirteen, Markl was still the boy he had taken in all those years ago, and his son was turning out just like "Daddy's 'prentice," who graciously baby-sat him while Howl and Sophie were busy. "Yes, really. Her name's Amy Lynn. And if you're quiet, you can go up and see her and Mommy now."

"Why if we're quiet?" Chase asked.

"Mommy's very tired," Howl explained. "She doesn't want any loud noises, and she's going to go to sleep soon."

"Why is Mommy tired?" Chase whispered, holding his father's hand as the three of them traipsed up the stairs.

"Do you remember when you felt the baby inside Mommy's belly?" Howl asked, and Chase nodded. "Well, getting the baby out of there is a lot of hard work, which is why Mommy's so tired now."

"Will she be okay?"

Howl smiled as they reached the door. "I'm sure she will. But why don't you go ask her yourself?"

-----Ende-----

and that's all for now. Hope to post more by the end of June.